2009-03-19

One of the big stories this week is that Barack Obama has picked his bracket for NCAA March Madness. Er, I have no idea what any of those words actually mean. I don't follow U.S. college sports whatsoever, having more important things to do (toilets don't plunge themselves!) Meanwhile I don't know what a "bracket" is, why anybody would care, or what this could possibly mean other than the desire to gamble. Of course, the other big story this week is why anybody cares. Yes Obama's a fan of basketball. Hey, wasn't the last President not only a baseball fan but a former owner of a baseball team? Do you recall hearing this story every October the past 8 years?

“This is it,” Obama said pointing to the bracket. “This is it. You know, you don’t want to start … letting it be like the NBA. People who are sub-.500 get into the playoffs. There’s something wrong with that.”

People who are sub-.500 being rewarded offends President Obama. Hold on, lets restate this: the guy who won the Presidency based solely on his skin colour and ability to read a teleprompter doesn't like the idea of teams below .500 making it in the playoffs as it rewards mediocrity.